In the Old Norse poem Völundarkviða, the legendary smith imprisoned by King Níðuð is Völund.
Völund is a master craftsman and one of the most famous smith figures in Germanic literature. Níðuð captures him, takes his hamstrings, and confines him on an island so that he cannot escape. Völund then uses his skill and ingenuity to forge objects for the king while secretly preparing revenge.
The poem is preserved in the Poetic Edda, the principal medieval collection of Old Norse mythological and heroic poetry. Its story has close relatives in other Germanic traditions. The Old English counterpart is often called Weland, while the Anglo-Saxon Franks Casket depicts related scenes.
“Wayland” is the most familiar English form, but “Völund” is the Old Norse name used by the poem and its standard translations.